U of G students will be voting on a $0.52 increase in their student fees to help fund the University of Guelph Student FoodBank in a referendum from Wed, Oct. 5 to Fri. Oct, 7. For the FoodBank’s proposal to be passed, they require 20 per cent of the student body to vote in order for the referendum to reach quorum as well as 4000 students to vote yes on the $0.52 increase.
The Ontarion spoke to Guelph Student FoodBank coordinator Namrata Tilokani about the FoodBank’s mission.
“Our mission is to provide emergency resources to undergraduate and graduate students,” said Tilokani. “That’s usually emergency food, the basic staple foods, as well as fresh produce and any toiletries that they might need.”
“…the University of Guelph Student FoodBank in a referendum from Wed, Oct. 5 to Fri. Oct, 7.”
Students can access these services by going to the FoodBank with their student cards and booking an in-take appointment. Unlike other food banks, the Student FoodBank works on an honour system in that students are not required to provide evidence of income to gain access to services. It should still be kept in mind that only students who need the services should use them.
The Guelph Student FoodBank, which was founded in 2004, also provides food education courses to students and a community garden to teach students how to cook and grow their own food.
The Guelph Student FoodBank supported 542 individuals, comprised of students and their dependents in 2015, which along with rising food costs has put a strain on their existing funding. While the $0.52 increase won’t completely alleviate the problem, Tilokani said it will definitely help.
“Keeping up with demand has been a big challenge, because there’s a lot of students accessing the service. We always welcome people to access it. When demand is really high, then we want to be able to provide as much as we can for each person.”
“The Guelph Student FoodBank supported 542 individuals, comprised of students and their dependents in 2015…”
The rising cost of food has been a concern for Canadians across the country who now have to spend more of their income to provide healthy and fresh food for their families.
The Ontarion spoke to Prof. Hannah Tait-Neufeld, a professor in the department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition about food security and food banks.
“I think that students are particularly vulnerable, not necessarily because of rising food prices in Canada, also just based on the environment that they live in,” said Tait-Neufeld.
She also explained that students living in the urban core of cities are in “food deserts,” areas of the city where reasonably priced groceries are not available.
“If you’re really watching your bottom line, with expenses like tuition, textbooks, and travelling back and forth if you’re commuting, as a student it makes it very challenging to provide a variety […] and quality of food,” she continued.
“For the price of half a donut, 6 gummy bears, or 1/20th of your entry fee to Trappers…”
Tait-Neufeld highlighted the importance of accessing food banks in emergency situations, but expressed that she did not consider them to be a sustainable provider of food.
“I think there has to be a lot more innovative ways of progressing towards food security. I think if you’re trying to address some of these situations in low income populations, or people who are living in urban centres, living in food deserts, you need to think more collectively.”
The Guelph Student FoodBank referendum will be conducted online, with students receiving a ballot through their GryphMail account. They can vote on whether they are in support of the $0.52 increase in food acquisition for the Guelph Student FoodBank. There will also be an official polling station in the University Centre, where a bank of tablets or laptops will be set up for students to vote.
To communicate what $0.52 looks like, the FoodBank is marketing the fee increase in comparison to other services and goods that students are likely to be familiar with.
“If anyone is looking to donate fresh stuff, we always take fresh produce.”
“For the price of half a donut, 6 gummy bears, or 1/20th of your entry fee to Trappers,” is how the Guelph Food Bank is framing the increase in student fees to provide fresh produce, cooking classes, and nutrition education for those in need in the University of Guelph community.
“It doesn’t take a lot to make that difference,” said Tilokani.
The fee increase will not only financially support the Foodbank, but raise awareness about the food bank and “establish a link between the campus and the Foodbank.”
Beyond the referendum, the Guelph community can assist the Guelph Student FoodBank by volunteering—forms are available on the CSA website—or making a donation at 620 Gordon St. The FoodBank has a number of high priority goods that are always appreciated, which include protein sources like peanut butter and cans of tuna, as well as rice. Furthermore, Tilokani explained that fresh produce is also welcome.
“If anyone is looking to donate fresh stuff, we always take fresh produce. A lot of people, I think, maybe have that image that you can only donate cans or non-perishables, but fresh produce; a carton of eggs, bananas, or apples can go a long way because that’s someone’s fresh produce for the week.”
Photos by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.